I think that something else that should be considered is that for many of us, we will probably only be able to do this once. I think, especially for the younger hikers, that the occasional hostel and weekly pizza (if not the beer) might make a lot of difference in " the journey. " Can you probably hike for $1 per mile without relying on the generosity of others? Possibly. Can you really make the most of the AT on that amount? Not in my opinion....